GM I hate you!...yet I am also appreciative!

[MikeyL]

LOL ... This thread is so much more interesting than "Which oil do you use" ........ LOL !

Mikey Lulejian - Stirring up trouble on Lake Oconee, GA

 

[RightStuff]

As someone who will be in the market to get a truck (pickup or SUV) in the near future...

I would love to know of a place that can cut thru the one-off stories you hear in regards to long term reliability of a brand. I feel like everything out there is basically hear-say because one (or two or three) people on the internet had the same issue with a specific year/vehicle/engine/tranny/etc.

Would be great to have hard facts around what years for what brands are the most/best/top in reliability to know the % of issues each vehicle has. Anyone? Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller?

 

[Zeus2013]

Yes it has the Ecoboost engine. I have had a new Expedition for about a month now. Pulls awesome, but only done a short tow to the lake so far. Just took a long Memorial Day roadtrip and got 20 mpg for the weekend. Not bad !!! Rides like a dream and a good quiet ride too.

View attachment 22595

Do you have the Tow/Haul feature? The button would be on the shifter. Makes towing so much better.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

As someone who will be in the market to get a truck (pickup or SUV) in the near future...

I would love to know of a place that can cut thru the one-off stories you hear in regards to long term reliability of a brand. I feel like everything out there is basically hear-say because one (or two or three) people on the internet had the same issue with a specific year/vehicle/engine/tranny/etc.

Would be great to have hard facts around what years for what brands are the most/best/top in reliability to know the % of issues each vehicle has. Anyone? Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller?

I can't point you to a place that has the unbiased opinion you are looking for but I can however provide the facts of my experience thus far.

2009 Tahoe LTZ with the Tow Package. Purchased as 2nd owner in 2011 with 62K miles. I have 114K miles on it now. Since purchase I have replaced the front left hub assembly, breaks, all four rotors. It tows great (but I don't have anything to compare that to, so that is an opinion)!

I have the dash issue, where it is cracking around the seams and the passenger airbag. I live with it.
I have an intermittent problem with the back up screen where it will just show black. Completely random. Doesn't happen often.
The mirrors will not turn in as they should when you hit the button. The right mirror will not adjust left right. The left mirror will not adjust up/down. I live with it.
Recently the auto level/air ride system has stopped working/engaging. Currently looking into these issues.

Just the facts in my experiance and one small opinion. I would be interested in other peoples experiences also.

 

[mark_m]

As someone who will be in the market to get a truck (pickup or SUV) in the near future...

I would love to know of a place that can cut thru the one-off stories you hear in regards to long term reliability of a brand. I feel like everything out there is basically hear-say because one (or two or three) people on the internet had the same issue with a specific year/vehicle/engine/tranny/etc.

Would be great to have hard facts around what years for what brands are the most/best/top in reliability to know the % of issues each vehicle has. Anyone? Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller?

2013 Chevy Tahoe LT purchased used in 2013 with 12 k miles. Currently have 32k miles.

Maintainence:
Oil changes every six months.

Repairs:
Replaced all brake shoes, but only driver side caliper froze on its slide and wore inside shoe down to wear indicator. Used napa pads and replaced myself for < $150.

Misc:
No dash cracks but expect will come in time.

No issues with mirrors folding in or adjustment problems.

I don't have the navigation & backup cam or air level suspension bits that come with LTZ trim, but I did have the rear seat dvd screen go out once intermittently on the way back from kings island and thought my kids were going to mutiny.

 

[rkluck]

I had a 2000 Ram 1500 that my son still drives (175k). Dash cracked but I put a really nice fitting cover over that. Other than regular maintenance no issues and isn't leaking or burning oil. I had a 2012 RAM 1500 with no issues and just got a 2015 RAM 1500 (wanted the 4 x 4) and it has been great so far. My better half has a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4 X 4 and we have had no problems (there are three recalls we need to get done). Each of these have pulled the boat and other trailers just fine. I would not pull the boat with the Jeep for any real distance. I just like the solid feel of the truck pulling it. We had an older Expedition that lost the oil pump at 135K. I do think some vehicles have issues but overall many problems can be avoided with the proper maintenance. Just my 2 cents! Yes I am a Mopar guy.

 

[RightStuff]

I can't point you to a place that has the unbiased opinion you are looking for but I can however provide the facts of my experience thus far.

Exactly! Based on a quick Google search, there were 73,254 Tahoes sold in the US in 2009 (who knows how accurate that is!), so your experience roughly accounts for 0.0013% of the ones out there. So based on that I don't trust your opinion.

That's what would be awesome to see, something like this:

2009 Tahoes:

• 2.5% had transmission repairs
• 4.5% had brake repairs
• 10.1% electronic repairs
• etc.
• etc.

I know this is getting really theoretical, just hate reading this story and that story about long term issues with vehicles. You can sometimes see trends if you look long/hard enough, but still not very scientific.

 

[Glassman]

Exactly! Based on a quick Google search, there were 73,254 Tahoes sold in the US in 2009 (who knows how accurate that is!), so your experience roughly accounts for 0.0013% of the ones out there. So based on that I don't trust your opinion.

That's what would be awesome to see, something like this:

2009 Tahoes:

• 2.5% had transmission repairs
• 4.5% had brake repairs
• 10.1% electronic repairs
• etc.
• etc.

I know this is getting really theoretical, just hate reading this story and that story about long term issues with vehicles. You can sometimes see trends if you look long/hard enough, but still not very scientific.

There IS such a place. I participate in their surveys. They use real data from real people. You can sign up and so can all of our members. The more the merrier (and better data too)

http://www.truedelta.com/


example of some data:

http://www.truedelta.com/Chevrolet-Tahoe/reliability-61

 

[RightStuff]

Wish I could give you more ratings than just the one for that. Looks like it's still not a lot of data and might be kinda hit or miss, but exactly what I was thinking of!

 

[waterboy]

Do you have the Tow/Haul feature? The button would be on the shifter. Makes towing so much better.

Yes it does. I also have the heavy duty towing package. 9200 lb tow rating and all the other upgraded stuff that adds. It has the electric brake control on the dahs, just wish I had elec brakes on the boat too. A pricey upgrade on the trailer to add the elec to hydraulic converter.

 

[Zeus2013]

Yes it does. I also have the heavy duty towing package. 9200 lb tow rating and all the other upgraded stuff that adds. It has the electric brake control on the dahs, just wish I had elec brakes on the boat too. A pricey upgrade on the trailer to add the elec to hydraulic converter.

Great...i have the same set up. Did you try with and without tow haul engaged?

 

[waterboy]

@Zeus2013 We have about a 5 mile easy tow to the lake. I've tried tow/haul and can't really tell a difference, plus my ~5000 or so lbs isn't really taxing it's capacity. I will shake it out a bit more on my tow to Lauderdale for the Bimini trip. I am assuming it will force it to hold the gear much longer as my old Sequoia did, and do exactly as designed. I also have a tranny temp guage. It will be interesting to see if the temp budges at all. Based on what i have seen so far and read, the temps like to hold at about 200-205 F and hold the temps well under load.

On towing, I upgraded from a Pilot to the Expedition this year. Obviously no comparison in tow capacity, but the Pilot did real well towing to Lauderdale last year considering... There were times it wanted to hunt for a gear and I had to go easy on the throttle, but overall it did pretty good for towing at capacity. I look forward to not having the tranny hunt as much this year.

 

[waterboy]

You may have opened a can o' worms ....

@Glassman I have to laugh... Sorry about that one man. Thanks for the compliment though. I love the wheels on it. Not fond of the standard 18" wheels, but these 20"s look sharp.

You're not going to get any sympathy from me though. I had been looking at upgrading my vehicle for a few months. My wife got a new job and lost a company car. We bought 2 cars in 1 week. OUCH !!!

 

[mark_m]

Exactly! Based on a quick Google search, there were 73,254 Tahoes sold in the US in 2009 (who knows how accurate that is!), so your experience roughly accounts for 0.0013% of the ones out there. So based on that I don't trust your opinion.

That's what would be awesome to see, something like this:

2009 Tahoes:

• 2.5% had transmission repairs
• 4.5% had brake repairs
• 10.1% electronic repairs
• etc.
• etc.

I know this is getting really theoretical, just hate reading this story and that story about long term issues with vehicles. You can sometimes see trends if you look long/hard enough, but still not very scientific.

Sounds like you should check out consumer reports auto guide... They track this kind of stuff and use the Bucky balls to score across different categories

 

[Gmmastertech1]

As a world class tech for GM, and a master ASE technician in the field for over 25 years, I have worked on every make, model, year you can imagine. ALL vehicles have problems. They're mechanical. They will fail sooner then later, it's why I have a job. lol. Seriously though, GM trucks stand out more than any other brand I've been with in reliability. Yes, some 07-11 had AFM lifter concerns. MOST of the time from neglected oil changes and maintenance. However, I've also repaired some that were maintained correctly. All in all, out of the thousands of vehicles I see yearly, GM trucks are outstanding. A lot of the problems are portrayed as being defective or whatever that I see come to me when customers bad mouth the manufacturer, are actually a poorly previously repaired vehicle from another dealership. If technicians would truly repair them correctly the first time, a lot could be accomplished. To the OP, I have never seen a 6.2 Denali with a crankshaft problem. Lifters very rarely on the 6.2's as well.

 

[Bruce]

@Gmmastertech1, glad to have you here! Wish you had been onboard when the 6L80 in my Sierra Denali was acting up. The locals including the dealer have very little experience with them.

My opinion is that all makes and models of vehicles have issues and we are much more likely to read about the problems than the successes.

 

[Gmmastertech1]

Hi Bruce! Thanks for the welcome! I've been on YJB for several years. I feel like I know most of you on here! As for your 6L80, one of the planetary shells had a machine cast poorly over a bleed hole that caused them to go crazy at times. A LOT of techs mis diagnosed them!

 

[Gmmastertech1]

And you are 100% correct. Most of the forums people use them for venting and talk about the problems, which is fine. Very rarely do we hear the good that we see.

 

[Bruce]

as for your 6L80, one of the planetary shells had a machine cast poorly over a bleed hole that caused them to go crazy at times. A LOT of techs mis diagnosed them!

I believe that is exactly what happened to mine. I spent $1600 on diagnosis and electrical parts before spending a similar amount to buy a used 6L80, have it installed and swap the TEHCM after it failed to program.

 

[CDENsomnia]

For some reason I didn't get the notifications when everyone replied...just now catching up! Yea I made a goof in the original post, just mentioning that we took the F350 pulling the toy hauler and the Denali pulling the boat. My post was not really meant to bad mouth GM but more or less get it out to those who might have the 6.2L. I have done a ton of searching online and it appears AFM engines have this issue and it is mentioned neglecting and oil change can compound the problem. We however did not do that. The mechanic just called and let us know its fixed. After going through everything they think the previous owner (this was a certified used a year ago) may have neglected it based on what they found on tear down. As religious as we are about vehicle maintenance this is VERY frustrating given that we have had this vehicle a short time. They found some other issues during tear down that give them an indication the vehicle may have been abused prior to us owning it.

I am going to chalk this up as a lesson learned. This is only my second GM vehicle and both have given me problems where as in MY experience my Fords have never had issues like this where the vehicle is out of commission. As someone mentioned its all about each individuals experience. I actually LOVE the Denali if it hadn't had the issues we have had. We bought this particular vehicle because I wanted something very comfortable and a good strong motor to tow the boat with. The last thing we want to do is be under powered and limited to how far we can go because the vehicle isn't up to the challenge. We will be trading this in as soon as possible, probably take a big hit on it since we have had it less than a year but thankfully we never pay just the minimal payment so it wont be that bad.

I really wish the Expeditions weren't so darn expensive and that Ford would keep them more inline with the F150's in terms of updates. The existing Expeditions has had multiple refreshes but not a complete redesign in quite some time. Like that they finally put the Ecoboost in it!

Again, I know not all GM vehicles are bad but this is the end of the line for our family and owning any GM product. Now if Yamaha would just make a twin engine truck!